Dump scow



1933. A. J. DAWSON ET AL 1,941,290

DUMP SCOW Filed Jan. 6, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l H k1 l "1 ll 0 [l INVENTOR E] E} af/w .Smawcm may 1/,

Dec. 26, 1933. A. J. DAWSON ET AL DUMP SCOW Filed Jan. 6, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Dec. 26, 1933. A. J. DAWSON ET AL DUMP SGOW Filed Jan. 6, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 L/ KVENTOR Qd E/L W5 Z I g jwm Dec. 26, 1933 w A. J. DAWSON ET Al. 1,941,290

DUMP SCOW Filed Jan. 6, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I f y INVENTOR dffw 36:40am m Dec. 26, 1933. A. J. DAWSON ET AL DUMP S C OW Filed Jan. 6, 1953 5 SheetsSheet 5 INVENTOR 34mm and.

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 1,941,290 DUMP soow Albert J. Dawson, Sewickley,"and Alfred C; Leigh,

I Bellevue, -Pa., assig'nors to The Dravo. Con-.- tracting'Gompany, a corporation of'Pcnnsyl- AppIication January 6, 1933. 'Serial No. 650,418

a Claims. (01. 114-a5j- I This invention relates to dump" scows, and consists in improvement in the gate-operating mechanism, with the results-that the; gates are more easily operated, proper closure more accurately 5 and certainly effected, and the mechanism rendered more readily accessible I for purposes of maintenance and repair. Y a I In the accompanying drawings, Fig-I is a view in side elevation of a dumpscow, such asthat to which this invention is applicable. Fig. II is a view of the 'scow in plan from above. Fig. III is a fragmentary-view in "cross-section and tolarger scale, on the plane indicated at IIIIII, FigrII, showing in elevation the gate-operating mechanism of this invention. Fig. IV isa view in horizontal section, on the planeind-icated at IV-IV, Fig. III. Figs. V and VI-are fragmentary views showing in elevation and in plan, an'd to still larger scale, a detail. -Withrespect to Fig, IV,

Fig. V is a section on the plane V--V. Fig. VII

is a view in cross-section, on the plane VII-VII, Fig. IV. Fig. VIII is a view in section, on the plane VIIIVIII, Fig. IV. ;Fig. IX is adiagrammatic View inside elevation of an assemblyof parts found in Fig. VIII. Fig. X is an illustration of a detail, shown in-c-rosssection, on the plane indicated at X-X, FigIII. I i

A'dumping scow offamiliar construction, such a scow as is shownin-Figs. Iaand II, is provided with a succession of pairs of hoppers l, with downwardly and outwardly inclined bottom walls.

These bottom walls slope downward'from a ridge on the longitudinal'mid-line of the scow. E'Ihe hull walls of the scow constitute the side walls of vthe hoppers; and in these hull walls 'gates :2

are; pivoted on horizontally extending axes. Ihir lower edges swingtoandfrom closure withthe sloping floors of the hoppers. Thisgeneral conf 'struction will be manifeston-comparing FigsQ I, I

.above. This'shaft 3-0: the present gate-'operatf ing mechanism does not, however,itself carry the drums upon which the gate-operating chains are ;wound. i

II, III andVII of-the drawings.- The gates, when free, swing'outwardly under the weight of the burden ofmater-ial'in the hoppers, and operating v mechanism isfprov-ided for swingingfthe gates to closed position andsecuring them in closed position so long as-a loadisto -be sustained. Y f a It will be perceived, onconsidering particularly Figs. III and VII of the drawings, that-theoppositely sloping floors of each pair of hoppers form, as it were, the roof of an underlying chamber. -The 'gate operating mechanism which scow .and in the 'fchamberlbeneath such roof.

Upon this shaitiapairofdrumsismounted; a

pair of chains isprovided for each of the two oppositely swinging'gates of the. opposite hoppers; and'upon each of the two drums one chain from each of the two opposite gates is wound. A suitable stop is provided to hold the shaft against rotation in gate-opening direction, which stop is retractable, to, the. end that the gates may in proper timeswing open in response to the weight of the load. The gates are swungfrom open. to closed position manually, ordinarily. by means of V lever andratchet. v The .four chains ofthe two opposite gates extend from the two drums, through openings in the floors of and near the upper ends of thenho'ppers, and then downward ove'rthe floors of-the hoppersto the'points of connection With'and adjacent the lower edges of the gates. The reaches'of chain within the hoppers are'protected by plates securedin place above them.

Z By mechanism com only employed and of the character indicated, it is. not possible to achieve accurate and tight closure of thegates under gpracticalconditions' of. use, and this is adisadvantageousfeature, permitting undesiredescape from theclosed-hoppers of some of th'ematerial con- .tained inthem," The improved gate-operating mechanism of this invention primarily concerns the accurate and'complete "closure of the. gates in repetitive operation under service conditions. Incidentally, the improved mechanism is susceptible to easier operation. by' muscular power. Furthermore, the operating parts are more readily accessible for purposes of I adjustment'and. repair.

The mechanism of the. present invention includes a shaft3, arranged upon the longitudinal mid-line of. the scow and. beneath the ridge formed by the meeting of the floors of a pair of opposite hoppersfsitu'ated substantially as is the operating shaft of the prior-art structure alluded to Theshaft 3 is provided witha ratchet-wheel 4; and a ratchet 5,; pivoted on a stationary part of the structure, is effective by engagement with the ratchet-wheel to hold the shaft against rotation member 5 pivoted to theproximal member. The

distal memberis provided with a rearward extending arm 'L'anda ,keeper-8,-pivoted upon a fixed support (conveniently on the same pin with member 6), is capable of being swung alternately to engage and to release the arm 7. The keeper is advantageously of the stirrup form shown and swings over the tip of the rearward extending arm.

The pivotal center of the union of the members 5 [Tao struck a blow by a sledge" When the parts are in the full-line positions shown in Fig. V, a blow struck upon arm efiects the swinging of the keeper, with release of the arm 7. Thereupon the ratchet collapses, the shaft turns, and the load,

swinging open the gate,escapes. It will particularly be remarked that by such provision the loaded scow may be dumped with greatest ease, and without danger to the attendant who operates it. I j

The effective length of the ratchet is adjustable. This feature'is realized in making the distal member of the ratchet in two parts which are united in screw-threaded engagement. To the outer of these two parts the reference numeral 5 is in the drawings immediately applied. By turning the part 5 upon the companion part the adjustment is effected. In such a necessarily rugged structure this refinement affords minute adjustment in practical form. Adjustability in the effective length of the ratchet is desired, that (the assembly being otherwise complete) the gates when shut may be held by the retaining means precisely in place and without appreciable easingoff.

A separate drum 9 is provided for each of the gate-operating chains; and, since in usual arrangement each gate is operated by two chains, the Whole assembly, with a single shaft 3, is that illustrated in Fig. IV: four drums 9 are symmetri- ,,cally arranged on opposite sides of the shaft 3, .a pairadjacent each end of the shaft 3. Rotation is imparted to the drums by pinions 10, borne by.

shaft 3, and by gear wheels 11, borne by the drums, and, with Fig. III particularly in View, it will be perceived that rotation of shaft 3 will effect the simultaneous rotation of both pairs of drums 9; that the simultaneous rotation of the drums of each pair will be in uniform direction. The gateoperating chains from opposite. gates, diagrammatically indicated in Fig. III by. the broken lines 12, are oppositely wound upon the opposite pairs of drums 9; and in consequence, the rotation of ,shaft 3 and the corresponding rotations of the pairs of drums 9 will be either simultaneous gateclosing rotations or simultaneous gate-opening rotations. With Fig. III in view, clockwise rotation of the drums 9 Will be gate-opening rotations, and counter-clockwise rotation of the drums will be gate-closing rotations. I

In the gate-operating mechanism now in common use and characterized above, the winding drums are mounted upon the shaft at points relatively remote from its ends. In the mechanism of this invention, the drums and gearing are brought to the very ends of the shaft 3, where they are accessible for purposes'of adjustment and repair,

at the place indicated by the arrow a in Fig. I. Furthermore, by so situating the drums 9, the 1 gate-operating chains 12 (Figs. III and VII) may be brought close to the end walls of the hoppers,

spaced pin-holes (shown in dotted lines). I this provision, it is possible, withdrawing the pin 15, to make minute shifting of the drum 9 relaopened and closed positions. there will be no overlying of the chain, turn upon 'chain of the opposite pairs of gates, there is no interference of one chain with another in Winding and unwinding, no irregularities incident to overlapping of chain upon chain, and no conse- .quent irregularity in the swing of the gates of an opposite pair. 'And it will not then come about that the mechanism will come to a stand with one gate wholly closed and the other still incompletely closed.

The operating mechanism of the invention includes a further feature of adjustment whereby, after the structure has been assembled and the gate-swinging chains anchored to the drums, the

effective length of one'chain may be adjusted relatively to another, to the end that accurate and complete closure of both gates'of the pair and at both ends of each gate shall be effected. This feature of adjustment is particularly shown in Figs. VIII and IX, where it will be seen that thegear-wheel ll'and the drum 9 are united by means of a removable pin 15. This pin penetrates aligned orifices in the webs of the drum and of the gear-wheel. In Fig. IX, it is indicated that, whereas the gear-wheel 11 is equipped with a succession of sixteen circularly arranged and equally spaced pin-holes (shown in full lines), the drum 9 is provided with seventeen equally Y tively to the gear-wheel 11, and then to secure the two'parts together again by inserting the pin 'in two pin-holes that happen then to have come to alignment. A removable keeper 18 is provided to hold the inserted pin in place during operation.

The drums 9 are advantageously made of such circumferential extent that, within a complete rotation, there will be sufficient chain travel to permit the normal swing of the gate between In consequence,

turn, and the precision of the range of swing will not, on such account, be disturbed.

In operation, the gates are closed by the swinging of a hand-lever 16, which is pivoted co-axially with the shaft 3 and which, by means of a dog 17 engaging the ratchet-wheel 4, effects shaft rotation. When in such manner the gates of an opposite pair of hoppers have been closed,

v the ratchet 5, engaging the ratchet-wheel 4, is

keeper '8 swings the keeper to the-broken-line position and allows the ratchet 5 to collapse under the thrust of the ratchet-wheel 4, upon which the weight of the load acts, through swinging gate, chains, gear-wheels, and pinions. Thus, automatically on the swinging of the keeper 8, the

scow dumps itself. Should inequality develop, in consequence of wear, so that the gates, or either of them, close inaccurately or incompletely, the adjusting device shown in Figs. VIII and IX is readily accessible, at the point indicated in Fig;

I at a, to alter the effective length of one chain relatively to the other three chains of'each assembly, to the end that the desired evenness and completeness of closure shall be effected. If the gates are not held closed with sufiicient tightness, adjustment of the efiective length of the ratchet 5 will afford remedy. Furthermore, as has been said pawls, ratchets, dogs, pinions, and gearwheels, all of them, are readily accessible for purposes of replacement and repair, as well as of adjustment.

We claim as'our invention:

1. Gate-operating mechanism for a dump scow including, in association with a pair of opposite hoppers with sloping floors and oppositely swinging gates, a pair of drums, means for rotating the drums in simultaneity, two tension members anchored one to each of said drums and secured at their opposite ends one to each of said gates, and means for adjusting when the parts are organized one drum circumferentially while the other drum continues in relatively stationary position.

2. Gate-operating mechanism for a dump scow including, in association with a pair of opposite hoppers with oppositely swinging gates, a power shaft, a pair of drums, a pair of gear-wheels united, one with each of said drums, and means including the said gear-wheels for transmitting rotation from said shaft simultaneously to the two drums, and a pair of tension members anchored, one to each of said drums and secured at their opposite ends, one to each of the said gates, the union of one of said drums with its companion gear-Wheel being adjustable, whereby the relative positions of the two said parts may be altered in circumferential direction.

3. Gate-operating mechanism for adumping scow including, in association with a pair of opposite hoppers with oppositely swinging gates, a power shaft, a pair of drums, a pair of gearwheels united, one with each of said drums, and means including the said gear-wheels for transmitting rotation from said shaft simultaneously to the two drums, and a pair of tension members anchored, one to each of said drums and securedat their opposite ends, one to each of the said gates, the uniting means between one of the said drums and its companion gear-wheel including a removable pin penetrating aligned orifices in the two said parts, and such orifices prising a ratchet-wheel borne by the shaft and a ratchet pivoted on a fixed support in the scow, the ratchet being of compound structure and including a proximal member pivoted immediately to such support and a distal member pivoted to the proximal member, the distal member being provided with an extended arm, and a keeper pivoted to such support and adapted to swing from a position of engagement to a position of release with respect to the arm with which the distal member of the ratchet is provided, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that when the ratchet is in engagement with the ratchetwheel and the keeper is in engagement with said arm, stress tending to collapse the ratchet is met and resisted by the keeper.

5. A dump scow with a swinging gate and gateclosing means including a rotatable shaft, means for resisting shaft rotation, such means comprising a ratchet-wheel borne by the shaft, a compound ratchet including a proximal member pivoted to a fixed support adjacent the shaft and a distal member pivoted to the proximal member, and movable on such pivotal mounting between extended and collapsed positions, together with a keeper pivoted to such support coaxially with theproximal member of the ratchet and adapted in the range of its pivotal movement to engage the distal member of the ratchet when the latter is in extended position.

6. A dump scow with a swinging gate and gateclosing means including a rotatable shaft, means for resisting shaft rotation, such means comprisinga ratchet-wheel borne by the shaft, a compound ratchet including a proximal member pivoted to a fixed support adjacent the shaft and adistal member pivoted to the proximal member, and movable on such pivotal mounting between extended and collapsed positions, together with a stirrup-shaped keeper pivoted to a fixed support and adapted in the range of its pivotal movement to engage .the distal member of the ratchet when the latter is in extended position.

'ALBERT J "DAWSON.

ALFRED C. LEIGH. 

